Is there a Doctor in the House?
by Reidluver
Summary: Before reaching the Grand Line the Straw Hat crew come upon an island for medical help after a difficult Sea King attack. Later they learn that the village is being terrorized by marines and they must help the one person brave enough to fight them.
1. Chapter 1: Arriving at Sakouli

**SUPER MEGA EDIT!**

**This story was written when I was only on episode 72 of the anime and before I knew anything about Chopper. To be honest, now that I'm completely caught up on One Piece I'm a little embarrassed about this story since it was written so long ago and when I was naive about how to write good fanfics. But I don't like taking fics down because I feel that's not fair to those who do like the story, so up it will stay. I will try and fix a few things so I don't want to kill myself after looking over this, but please understand the quality of this to what I write now rather sucks.  
**

**But if you still want to read, please enjoy! **

* * *

Akira sighed, gazing out over the ocean with a fishing rod in one hand while her head rested against the other. She had been pretty successful so far this morning, having caught four fish already. After living in Sakouli village for nine years, Akira had found it best to find her own food and not rely on the grace of the villagers.

Suddenly she spotted something in the distance. Squinting, she discovered that it was a ship, and a pirate one at that. The flag was unlike any she had ever seen. As it came closer, it was apparent that the flag was the standard skull and crossbones, but on top of it was—a straw hat? And the skull was _smiling!_ Akira snorted. What kind of pirates flew under a flag like that?

As she stood there, Akira wondered if she should warn the villagers that pirates were coming. _Would they even believe me?_ They would probably run from her presence or scream at her before she could even get the first word out. With a grunt she stood up and folded her arms, deciding that she would make that decision after she saw how tough they were. If these pirates weren't much trouble, then she would take care of them herself before they even entered the village.

The strange ship sailed closer and closer until Akira could see the people on board.

"Oi! Do you think you could help us?" a loud and strained, yet nonetheless enthusiastic voice called out.

Akira gasped as the boat docked and the people on board came down a rope ladder. All five of them looked within an inch from death. Their clothes were tattered, singed, and all were covered in bloody gashes that slowly dripped blood onto the earth. She could tell they had all been in a dangerous fight and was amazed that they were capable of walking.

The only female crew member looked better off than everyone else, and was supporting a long nosed fellow and a blonde man (who appeared to be enjoying himself despite his injuries). A few feet to their left was a man who carried three swords and swayed as he walked. Akira could tell that he had refused any help from the female and was trying to walk by himself.

However, her main attention was drawn to the young boy in front of them, who wore a straw hat just like the flag on their ship.

"Is there a doctor around here?" he asked cheerfully, as if the current state of himself and his crew was perfectly ordinary. "Oh, and a yakiniku store?" Akira's eyes opened wide as she recognized the boy.

"Follow me! Quickly! We can't let any of the villagers see you!" Akira shrieked, waving them after her.

The five pirates frowned. "What do you mean?" the boy asked in confusion, scratching his head.

"Once they see you, they'll try to capture you, Monkey D. Luffy!" Luffy and the others gasped.

"So you know who we are," the swordsman stated threateningly, partially drawing his sword. "If you—uggg!"

"Stop it!" Akira warned as the man doubled over from the strain. She turned to Luffy and stared him straight in the eye.

"Yes, I know who you are, but I'm not going to turn you in. If you come with me, I will tend to your wounds and hide you from the villagers," she informed him, trying to keep her voice level down and convince him of her sincerity.

"Okay," Luffy smiled.

"What do you mean, okay?" the swordsman growled, wincing as he spoke. "How can we trust—"

He was interrupted by a swift punch to his chest, knocking him out. Everyone gasped as Akira put his arm around her shoulder and began to drag him along. "What a troublesome guy," she muttered.

"I know that you are pirates, but I also know that you help others, so I will protect you. Even if I wanted to turn you in, it would be all too easy, seeing what condition you're in," Akira announced nudging her head towards the man she supported.

"But, why are you being kind to us?" the female asked.

"I'll explain it to you later!" Akira sighed impatiently. "All that matters now is getting your wounds treated! Follow me."

Everyone glanced at Luffy, who in turn studied Akira's face, then grinned. "All right! Let's go!"

* * *

Zoro hissed as Akira washed his wounds.

"Sorry, but these need to be cleaned to prevent infection," the girl explained apologetically.

"I still haven't had the chance to thank you for earlier," the swordsman groaned.

Akira snorted. "It was the only way to get you to follow me. I could tell you weren't going to listen, and you would have ended up hurting yourself more, Zoro."

"So, why are you helping us?" Luffy asked, rocking back and forth on a wooden chair. He and Nami were the first to be helped, having the more easily treatable wounds and sat at Akira's table, covered in bandages. Zoro was lying on Akira's cot, with Sanji and Usopp resting against the wall, waiting to be tended to.

"A month ago, two men came into our village," Akira explained as she finished up with Zoro's chest wound. She paused for a minute then sighed.

"I'm gonna have to stitch up your chest to stop the bleeding."

"WHAT?" Zoro _hated_ getting stitches. He still remembered when the doctor from Nami's village patched him up after the whole Aralong incident. That had _HURT!_

"Don't worry," Akira assured him, patting his head. "I'll go get Kasumi-sama for an anesthetic; that's one thing I don't own."

"No, some sake would do just fine," Zoro grinned, leaning back into the pillow. Akira laughed.

"I'll get some of that too, if you'd like." She turned to Sanji and Usopp. "Before I get her, let me see if you two need anything else." As she kneeled down next to Sanji and carefully examined the burn wounds on his arm, his eyes lit up and Akira could have sworn there were hearts in them.

"Akira-chaaaan!" he proclaimed loudly and romantically. She squealed and fell back off her knees, backing away from him. "What a beautiful sight! You are so lovely when you—"

Everyone stared as Sanji passed out from the pain of his injuries, the love struck smile still pasted on his face. Instinctively Akira caught him before he face planted and gingerly laid him on the floor and continued inspecting his wounds, wrapping them in bandages and medicine.

"Is he . . . all right?" Akira asked, turning to the other members of the crew.

"Tch—don't worry, he's always like that," Nami smirked. "It comes in handy sometimes. So, who came to your village?" Nami questioned, eager to find out the rest of the story.

"I believe their names were . . . Johnny and Yosaku."

"Really? Guess those fools are all right after all." Zoro smiled.

"What did they say? What did they say?" Luffy asked, a large grin plastered on his face. Akira chuckled at the boy's enthusiasm; it was almost catchy.

"They came into our village for some rest and supplies. I met them at the harbor and invited them to my house for dinner since they were pirate hunters. They told me many stories about their adventures and how they captured pirates, but then they told me one that was so unbelievable that at first I didn't believe it."

* * *

"_You can't be serious—mere kids my age defeated Captain Morgan, Don Krieg, and Arlong? What are you trying to pull?" _

"_It's the truth, Akira-aniki!" Johnny protested. _

"_We saw it with our own eyes!" Yosaku __added, taking a large swig from his sake. _

"_Really, and who did this?" Akira asked skeptically, raising her eyebrows at their tale and gleeful intoxification. _

"_The great Straw Hat crew!" both bounty hunters proclaimed sluggishly, the sake beginning to take affect. _

"_Their captain is Monkey D. Luffy—"_

"_The one who has a 30 million beli bounty on his head?" the girl yelled in amazement. _

"_Yeah, that's the one! There's also Nami-san, Usopp-aniki, Cook-aniki, and Zoro-aniki." _

"_Roronoa Zoro?" Akira was amazed at how impressive the crew was, but she still had her doubts. "Even so, how could a single crew of five have the largest bounty ever on their heads?" _

"_They all have incredibly special powers, unlike anyone I've ever seen before . . . . ."_

* * *

"Then they explained how you went around helping the Baratie restaurant and Cocoyashi village, but only accepted food and supplies, so I could tell that you weren't any ordinary pirates," Akira explained. She moved onto attending to Usopp's wounds.

"Shortly after, the Marines came and settled on this island, and those two had to go," she continued with a scowl. "The Marines are permanently stationed here, saying that they are after you, Luffy, and wanted to achieve the bounty. Their logic was that sooner or later they would run into you. However, they have just gotten lazy, living off the rest of the villagers, and threatening to burn the town if they don't give into their demands."

"Thankfully, my house is so out of the way, they don't bother with it. Not like I have much to offer them anyway, just my apple orchard."

Nami perked up. "Really? I grew up with an orange orchard. Can I see it later?" Akira nodded.

"Right now I'll go fetch Kasumi-sama, as well as some dinner. Bye!" Their hostess ran out the door, yelling over her shoulder as she left, "And make sure Zoro doesn't move a muscle or else the clotting will stop!"

"Okay! I understand." Luffy saluted as they all watched Akira's retreating form. The captain grinned and jumped onto the frame of the bed Zoro was lying on, accidentally slamming the swordsman's feet against the wood.

Zoro bit his lip and did his best not to scream or move as bead of perspiration ran down his head. Luffy frowned and stretched his neck so his face was an inch from Zoro's.

"Oi, are you okay?" The green-haired man growled.

"Of course I'm not!" _I swear, I'm _really_ going to kill him someday!_

* * *

**So, what do you think? Thanks for reading!**


	2. Chapter 2: Kasumi

"Kasumi-sama!" Akira sprinted towards the village. _Would she understand or would she turn them in? No, she's not like that. I mean, she didn't turn me in. _

The girl finally approached the village and she backed up against the first house she came to, inching along the wall. Once she came around to the front, she peeked around and examined the street. Most of the people within sight were in the nearby shops or had their attention focused elsewhere.

_There's her house! If only I could get across . . ._ With a deep breath, Akira sprinted towards the white and green colored doctor office.

"It's her!" _Ah, crap._

"Get out of here before you destroy us all!"

"Go back to your home, monster!"

Akira narrowly dodged a large rock thrown her way as she pounded on the wooden door.

"Kasumi-sama!" Akira spun around, preparing to block anything else directed her way. Suddenly the door behind her opened and an arm lashed out, grabbed her wrist, and pulled her in.

"There you are," a sweet voice greeted her. "What could possibly have happened for you to come to me during the day? Don't you usually come at night so the villagers don't see you?"

"Kasumi-sama, thank you!" Akira moved to face the doctor and gratefully bowed, her forehead touching the floor.

The woman sighed. "How many times have I told you to just call me Kasumi?" She stepped forward and lent a hand to the girl.

"No matter how many times you say it, I will still call you by the title you deserve."

"So what's going on, apple blossom?"

"I told you to stop calling me that!" Akira whined. "I'm not a little kid anymore, you know."

Kasumi chuckled. "Sorry, old habits die hard."

"Anyway, I need to borrow some anesthetic."

"Anesthetic? What do you need that for?" Kasumi began pouring some tea and set it down in front of Akira.

"Um . . . I found some injured pi—people at the harbor and am tending to them until they get better. One of them has a serious chest wound that needs to be stitched back up, and it will be much easier if he is sedated. The others have also suffered severe wounds as well, and I don't have sufficient supplies."

The old woman sipped her tea slowly and pondered over what the girl was requesting. With a fierce nod she set the cup down and walked over to a cupboard, taking out various medical tools and placing them in a black tote bag.

"Thank you Kasumi-sama," Akira said gratefully, holding her hand out to take the bag. Kasumi slapped it away.

"Wh-what?"

"I'm coming with you, of course! You are skilled yes, but I still want to oversee the treatment." She clasped the bag shut. "Let's go."

"B-but, it's best—"

"You know, sometimes you talk too much, apple blossom. Just take me to those who are injured. It doesn't matter who they are, it is our job to make them feel better."

Akira sighed. _Guess there's no avoiding it._

* * *

Sanji awoke to a very beautiful sight. Nursing his burn marks was a vision of beauty. She had silky, hazel brown hair tied into a ponytail that reached her shoulders, parted bangs, and entrancing sapphire eyes. She was dressed in a gray T-shirt with long black sleeves underneath that went an inch or two past her elbows, and a short blue skirt that matched her eyes with tight black leggings that went to her knees. The girl also wore two large silver hoop earrings in her right ear, and black leather gloves with the tips cut off.

Said girl was also leaning over him and redressing the bandages on his chest. His eyes lit up in hearts. "My heavenly angel! You have returned to me!" Sanji proclaimed happily, taking her hand and kissing it.

Akira shrieked and pulled her hand away, staring at the blonde in utter confusion and slight terror. No one had ever talked to her like that before, and she didn't know how to handle it.

"Idiot!" Nami's fist came crashing down on his head from behind Akira. "Can't you see you're scaring her?"

Sanji's smile did not falter. Rather, it became directed at Nami.

"Oh, Nami-swan! I shall obey your every command!"

Nami grinned mischievously. "Fine, now just act normal around Akira so she can tend to your injuries."

Obediently, the hearts left Sanji's eyes and he turned to Akira, trying to act as casual as possible.

She cleared her throat. "So, what happened to you?" Akira asked somewhat awkwardly, continuing her work.

"We ran into some sea kings. About twenty of them."

"What? You guys went up against _twenty_ sea monsters and survived?" All the pirates nodded. Akira knew it was common for travelers to run into sea monsters every so often around her village island because they were so close to the Calm Sea, but she had never heard of that many in one place.

"It was an epic battle," Usopp began dramatically, slipping into his tall tale mode. "An adventure worthy of being told by Captain Usopp, the bravest warrior on the sea!"

The girl blinked. "Isn't Luffy the captain?" Everyone laughed at Usopp's crestfallen face.

"How's Zoro?" Akira asked, directing her attention to the bed.

"Just fine," an elderly voice called out. "Sleeping like a baby." Sanji lifted his head and saw an old woman with short gray hair tied back in a bun and in a white smock with white pants. She was unlike any old woman he had ever seen. She was tall and large, yet only large in the sense that she was muscular, not burly; as if she had grown up on a pirate ship. Her nimble fingers were delicately running a needle in and out of Zoro's ripped flesh while he was snoring peacefully.

"And how are you feeling, dear?" the woman asked, locking her black pearly eyes with Sanji's.

"Better," he admitted truthfully. He could tell this woman was quite beautiful in her younger years.

"I figured as such," Kasumi nodded. "Akira's skill rivals only my own." The girl's face flushed with embarrassment. "I'll finish up here, how about you make us some dinner, Akira. You can find some bread in my bag." She nodded.

"I can help," Sanji offered, pushing himself off the ground. "I am a cook after all. Ahhhh!" He grasped his side and winced from the pain.

"Just lie down, your injuries aren't healed sufficiently enough for you to be moving around." Akira grinned. "I may not be that much of a cook, but I make a mean apple jam and apple pie."

Luffy's mouth watered. "Pie?!"

"You might want to make a separate one for Luffy, or else he'll eat it faster than you can blink," Nami suggested with a scowl.

Luffy laughed, and Akira couldn't help but join him. She reached into her fridge and pulled out a large container of apple juice, grabbed some cups, and set them down on the table, only to return a second later with a pitcher of ice.

"You must be thirsty," she said. After a chorus of "thank you" was heard, she headed to the kitchen and began preparations for two apple pies. Digging through her cupboard she gratefully noticed she had just enough.

_Looks like I'll have to make do for a while. I was saving that for Kasumi-sama's birthday next month, but she'll understand._

After placing the pie in the oven, Akira began cooking all the fish she had caught, as well as a few she had stored for later so there would be enough for her guests. Luckily, she still had two left over. _I guess I'll have to make some rounds tonight, since I don't know how much longer these pirates will have to stay here. All I have left are two fishes plus an unlimited supply of apples, apple juice, and apple jam. _

Despite her large apple orchard, none of the other villagers ever bought anything from her, so she had a very meager diet consisting of all variations of apple dishes she could think of, as well as the fish that she caught in the harbor. Akira enjoyed experimenting in the kitchen, trying to come up with new dishes, but due to her limited supply of other ingredients that was sometimes difficult.

Kasumi-sama and the mayor (a kind old man who took pity on her situation) bought apples from time to time, but other than that Akira had no money coming in. If she was lucky, she would catch incoming pirates or travelers coming to their island without the other villagers knowing, and sell apples to them. Kasumi would come by and give her other food from time to time, but Akira insisted that she not waste her money on her. Medical supplies were expensive and the village needed them.

As she was cooking the last fish, everyone sniffed the air and sighed in delight at the delicious aroma. Pleased with their reaction, Akira finished up and began washing out a glass mixing bowl.

"That smells good!" Akira glanced up and stared. Luffy's face was a few inches from her, but his body was still in the chair.

"S-s—so, you ate the Gomu Gomu fruit," Akira said slowly.

"Yep!" Luffy's head snapped back to his body. "I'm a rubberman." To emphasize his point he pulled at the corners of his mouth and stretched them about a foot out.

"Ka-Kaien—san," Akira said softly.

"_How are you this morning, Kaien?"_

"_A little better. I can move my arms today! What about your hands?"_

"_All right, I guess. I still can't feel anything with them."_

"_Don't worry! Maybe tomorrow will be bett—"_

"Akira!"

The girl blinked, shaken out of her daydream. She felt something warm dripping down her hands and she glanced down, realizing she had gripped the glass bowl so hard she crushed it. Shards of glass were digging into her skin because of her balled up fists, and the last remains of her bowl were lying in a heap on the floor. She found herself blinking back tears as she slowly unclenched her hands and examined the damage. Kasumi was at her side instantly, ripping out the glass with tweezers and whispering soothing words that only Akira could hear, who was still white with shock.

All five conscious pirates glanced at each other, their eyebrows raised out of concern and bewilderment. They could all tell the girl wasn't reacting to the fact that Luffy was a rubberman, but what _was_ she reacting to?

After a few awkward moments had passed, Kasumi resumed stitching Zoro while Akira laughed nervously.

"S—sorry! The pie should be ready in another five minutes!" She smiled falsely, carrying a plate of sliced bread and plates to the table. As she sat them down in front of Nami, the navigator noticed her bandaged hands trembling slightly and she was having difficulty gripping objects properly.

"Here, let me help set the table," Nami offered kindly, pushing her chair back. Akira bit her lip, then nodded slowly. The navigator flashed her a warm smile and together they finished getting dinner ready.

Ten minutes later, everyone except Zoro were happily seated at the table, enjoying a meal consisting of cooked fish, bread with apple jam, apple juice, and then apple pie.

"I've never had apple jam like this before!" Sanji proclaimed. "You must show me your recipe later."

"That's a pretty high compliment, coming from Sanji," Usopp grinned before stuffing his face with a large piece of fish.

Akira chuckled. "Sure, maybe sometime tomorrow!" She turned with concern to the sleeping Zoro. "He should have woken up by now. We didn't give him _that_ much anesthetic."

"He's probably sleeping, the lazy idiot," Nami sighed. "He can sleep through practically anything, and won't wake up until he wants to. It's best if we store his food for later, cause he will no doubt be hungry."

After dinner, Sanji and Usopp had insisted on washing the dishes. Luffy had too, but Sanji recalled how he handled the dishes at the Baratie restaurant and told him to back off.

"You have blankets on your ship, yes?" Akira asked the crew. "I'm afraid I only have the one on my bed."

"I'll show you where they are," Nami volunteered.

"Yeah, I'll come too!" Luffy exclaimed, walking towards the door.

"No, you can't come!" Akira said quickly. "You need to stay inside this house until you leave just in case anyone in the village sees you."

"That's right. Oh well!" Luffy grinned and jumped back onto one of the chairs, watching Sanji and Usopp finish the dishes.

* * *

**Not one of my longer chapters, but oh well. **

**EDIT: Hmmmm, going back over this I realize it follows a cliche storyline, but there are a few twists and turns so please stay tuned!**


	3. Chapter 3: I'm Dangerous!

"That's a big apple orchard," Nami remarked as they walked through the grove of trees. Akira had insisted they take a route through them as an extra precaution. Nami wouldn't be distinguished as a pirate from Luffy's crew, but Akira rarely had visitors so if anyone saw her walking with another girl they would get suspicious.

"Yeah, it's the biggest on this island."

"Same with my family's orange orchard. My sister and I would help Bellemere-san with the harvest for days on end, and we'd have enough oranges to last us a lifetime!"

With a warm smile Akira snatched an apple from the tree. "So you had a sister?" She took a large bite.

"Well, I consider her a true sister, but in actuality, my whole family was just three orphans forming a family together," Nami answered, grabbing another apple as well. "We were practically closer than any real family though, it felt like."

"What happened?" Akira asked, not missing the sadness behind the navigator's words.

"I don't need to go into details, but Bellemere ended up dying to protect both of us. My sister is still alive though."

Akira gasped apologetically. "Sorry, I didn't mean to bring up painful memories." Nami waved her off.

"It's in the past and there's nothing I can do about it, just remember all the fun times. Besides, I've got a new family now, and even though they're a handful, they're all my precious nakama."

"_My name's Kaien. You will be my nakama!"_

"That's a great gift," Akira admitted, clearing her head of that memory, which didn't go unnoticed by Nami.

"So, what's your story? You seem to know Kasumi really well," she asked, trying to understand their host a little more.

"Yes! She's practically a mother to me, since I don't remember that much about what my real mother was like. Kasumi-sama saved my life, and I owe her a large debt. There's the ship!" Akira added, a little too fast. "We should tie up your sails so no one notices the pirate symbol and comes looking for you." With that she ran towards the Going Merry before Nami could say another word. She could tell Akira was hiding something, but it wasn't any of her business.

"Wow! Your ship is huge! What do you call her?" Akira asked. She stared at the deck in amazement.

"Going Merry," Nami answered as she started to climb up the mast. "We've seen far bigger though. Our ship is actually smaller than most, but no one can match us for speed. Come help me tie up the main sail." Once the Going Merry had been carefully disguised as a regular ship, they started to go below deck.

"Are those your oranges?" Akira asked excitedly before they went down.

"Yeah, it's pretty much all Sanji's doing. As you can tell, he's a hopeless romantic," Nami sighed.

"Well, this was a smart idea. As long as you take care of those trees you won't have to worry about scurvy." Nami chuckled, remembering the time she saved Yosaku on their way to the Baratie restaurant.

By the time they returned to the house the sun had just faded out of view. When they entered the house they caught Sanji, Luffy, and Usopp drawing on Zoro's face while Kasumi laughed silently at the table.

"Oi! What are you doing that for?" Nami demanded, dropping the blankets she was carrying in a pile on the table.

Luffy chuckled. "It's all right, he'll never wake up! This is a perfect opportunity." Nami shook her head and started walking towards them, cracking her knuckles. All three boys gulped and backed away, hugging each other for support.

Akira closed her eyes and braced herself for the beating and screaming that would inevitably follow, but was surprised when she heard Nami call out, "_This_ is how you do it properly!" She opened her eyes and saw the navigator furiously drawing on Zoro's face to the cheers of the three boys.

"Strangest group of pirates I've ever seen," Kasumi said fondly, chuckling at the spectacle before her. "Not what I'd picture a 30 million beli bounty bunch to be anyway."

The girl froze. "So—you know? Why aren't you turning them in then?"

Kasumi stared at her intensely. "I could tell they weren't ordinary people by the way you didn't want me to come and I've seen the posters. What I can't believe is that you'd think I—of all people—would turn them in."

Akira bowed her head shamefully. "I-I just thought, with Raimon here—"

"I will only hand over pirates who are evil and should be rightfully punished over to him. I'm quite skilled at knowing who is good natured and who is not. You of all people should know that, apple blossom," the old woman said sternly.

"I'm so sorry, I should have known," the girl apologized, bowing her head even lower.

Kasumi smiled. "Oh well, you were just being protective of your friends. First group of kids your age you've been able to hang out with here, right?"

Akira nodded. "They're really nice. I'll be sad when they leave."

The woman turned to the pirates once again before sighing happily and got up to leave. "I'll be back tomorrow morning," she said quietly at the door, "and I'll bring along some extra food for your guests. I told you I don't want you making any more of your 'rounds'," she added sternly. At the girl's red face she smiled sweetly and patted her head before walking out the door.

Two hours later the house was silent, the only sounds coming from the crickets outside and the soothing ocean waves crashing against the shore. Akira was seated at her table, staring off into the night through a window. With a smile she turned her head to see the snoring pirates strewn about her bedroom floor. Luffy had his arms behind his head and his hat covering his face, Sanji was sleeping as close to Nami as she had allowed (he had a small bump on his head to mark the occasion), and Usopp was leaning against the bed frame where Zoro continued to sleep peacefully.

Akira smiled and resumed keeping watch. These pirates had been so kind to her, so she wasn't going to give the villagers or Raimon any chance to take them away. There was still the possibility that someone had seen the ship come in and was waiting for nightfall to attack, or they had suspected something from Akira's rare appearance into the village.

She was momentarily startled by a large yawn, but then discovered it was Zoro. He was rubbing the sleep out of his eyes and getting off the bed. Akira smirked at his absurd appearance; part of the makeup had smeared, making him look even more alarming.

"What's so funny?" he asked grumpily.

"You might want to take a look at yourself before you go any further," she said, gesturing to a small mirror she had hung on her wall. Puzzled, Zoro did as she said and his eyes grew wide at what he saw.

"WHAT?! I swear I'm gonna—" At this his stomach growled. "Nah, I'll do it later."

"We saved some dinner for you. Let me heat it up while you wash that off," Akira offered, opening the fridge.

Zoro nodded his thanks and began furiously scrubbing his face in the sink.

* * *

"Ah, that was a good meal," he announced, setting down the sake Kasumi had brought for him.

"Thank you," Akira said. She picked up his dishes and brought them over to the sink. "Are the stitches hurting you?"

The swordsman shook his head. "They're working just fine. I've had much worse than this though, believe me." The girl smiled and sat back down at the table and absentmindedly pulled out a necklace that was underneath her shirt.

"Where'd you get that?" Zoro wondered leaning in for a better look. "Is that a gold coin?"

"Hn? Oh, right. Yeah, it is a gold coin," Akira admitted, realizing what she was doing. "It was given to me by my nakama after I made a promise to him." Zoro nodded his understanding.

"This katana right here," he announced, placing the white scabbard on the table, "Is from my nakama, and I made a promise to _her_ to become the greatest swordsman in the world." He paused for a second and studied her face. "Your nakama died, didn't he?"

Akira gasped, startled at such a direct statement and slowly nodded. "Yeah, he died a while afterwards."

"So did mine," Zoro admitted softly. "Which makes me more resolved than ever," he added with more vigor. "Now I am working to fulfill both dreams!" Akira's eyes widened. _I never thought of it that way, maybe I could as well . . . _

"Anyway," he continued, "it's late. I hope you weren't staying up just for me?"

"Oh, I-I . . . I was just . . . " Zoro frowned at her for a second, and then realized what she was doing.

"You know," he said slowly. "We appreciate the concern, but we are more than capable of defending ourselves if we have to. You can go to sleep. Don't worry," he said as he put the katana back around his waist. "Just one of us is enough to fight a whole village."

Akira bit her lip, embarrassed at having been read so easily yet not wanting to sleep either. "I—it's all right. I don't feel like sleeping anyway. I will when I get tired," she said, trying to conceal a yawn. Zoro raised his eyebrows then shrugged.

"Suit yourself." The swordsman leaned back in the chair, folded his arms behind his head, and seemed to instantly go to sleep.

Breathing a sigh of relief, Akira resumed keeping watch over the door.

About an hour later Zoro slowly opened one eye then smirked. Akira had fallen asleep on the table, her head resting in the crook of one arm while the other lay in her lap. "What a fool," he muttered under his breath and he quietly pushed his chair back.

He scooped the girl into his arms and carefully carried her over to her bed, placing the small sheet over her. Glancing over at his friends he smirked again at their sleeping frames then grabbed the extra blanket and picked a spot by Luffy. He laid his back against the wall and placed his hands behind his head before falling asleep instantly.

* * *

The next morning Akira woke up in her bed well rested, and looked over at Zoro in alarm. She then smiled happily and went to the kitchen just as the door opened.

"Oh good, you're up," Kasumi whispered. "Here's some eggs, bread, and pork meat, as well as a new glass bowl. I'll help you make some breakfast." Bursting with excitement, Akira began working alongside Kasumi and before long the house was filled with the tantalizing smell of bacon.

One by one the pirates awoke, with Luffy being the last. He seemed to glide along, sniffing the air while half asleep. Only when he collided with the table did he wake up.

"Itai!"

"Serves you right idiot, for what you did to me last night," Zoro growled.

"It wasn't just me!" Luffy protested.

"Yeah, but it's more fun blaming you," the swordsman chuckled. Luffy frowned for a second then realized there was food. He jumped into his seat and began plowing the food into his mouth.

"You know, a person can lose their appetite watching him eat," Kasumi remarked, watching the spectacle with disdain and slight fascination.

When the dishes were all put away, Kasumi and Akira were treated to stories upon stories of the Straw Hat Pirates' adventures. Having never heard stories like this, Akira sat with rapt fascination, soaking in every word.

"Wow! A pirate life must be amazing," she said dreamily. "So where will you be headed after this?"

"The Grand Line!" they shouted in unison. Akira and Kasumi's mouth dropped.

"What?!"

"But, so many people never come back! What if—" Akira protested. She didn't want her newfound friends to be in any danger.

"Don't worry, I'll become the Pirate King one day, so we need to look for One Piece!"

"I need to become the greatest swordsman in the world."

"And I'm searching for All Blue!"

"I want to make a map of the entire world!"

"And I will prove I am the bravest warrior of the sea!"

Akira stared at her friends in astonishment. _They all have such powerful and near impossible dreams!_ However, she couldn't help but feel as if each and every desire was well within their grasp. She hadn't seen anyone so devoted and firm in their beliefs in a long time.

"Hey, what is it you want to do, Akira?" Luffy asked, a wide grin on his face.

"Well—I-I guess to be helpful to people?" Akira said lamely.

"All right! It's decided then," Luffy yelled. He stood up in the chair and pointed at Akira.

"You will join my crew and be our doctor!"

Akira's mouth almost hit the floor. Of all the things she had expected the young captain to say, that was certainly not one of them.

"Wh—what? What do you mean by that?" _They want me to join them? They actually want me?_

"Why not, Akira-chan? We need a doctor!" Sanji proclaimed, unable to keep the hearts out of his eyes.

"It'll be nice not being the only girl," Nami admitted happily.

"It would be a great adventure!" Usopp yelled, punching his fist in the air.

"Oh, that's wonderful!" Kasumi exclaimed, patting the shocked girl on the back.

"So, what do you say?" Zoro asked with a mischievous grin.

Akira's brain was racing with such a flurry of emotions and thoughts her head felt ready to burst. Part of her was really tempted to flee the village and join them, but sadly the other part held firm.

"Thank you for your offer, but I'm afraid I'll have to decline," she finally announced kindly, trying to mask her real emotions. All the pirates grinned.

"You know, once Luffy makes up his mind, there's no going against it," Zoro warned.

"Most of us refused at first, but then we gave in. You will too," Sanji laughed.

Akira shook her head frantically. "No! You don't understand, I can't!"

Luffy just grinned. "I've already decided! You will be my nak—"

"STOP! Don't say that!" Akira snarled. "Don't say that." The memory started resurfacing but she struggled to push it back down.

"_You will be my nakama!"_

Everyone stared at her in bewilderment, puzzled about her rapid mood change.

"Please . . . I—I can't. Please understand . . . I'm dangerous," she added in a whisper.

"Huh? What did you say?" Luffy cupped a hand behind his ear and leaned forward.

"I SAID I'M DANGEROUS!" Akira screamed.

"Ahhh!" Luffy fell down, rubbing his ear.

"Akira—" Kasumi began softly, trying to place a hand on the girl's shoulder. Akira wrenched her shoulder out of the woman's grasp.

"Each and every one of us is dangerous," Zoro said calmly, trying to keep the girl under control. "Join the clu—"

"NO! I'm very dangerous and will end up hurting you!" Tears began falling down Akira's face and she sounded close to hysterics.

"There is no way you could hurt us, Akira-chan," Sanji said soothingly, putting an arm around her kindly. "We're ver—"

"LEAVE ME ALONE!" With that she pushed Sanji off of her and ran out the front door.

Sanji was so shocked he didn't even notice Nami had stopped his fall.

"What's up with her?" Luffy asked, brushing himself off the floor.

Kasumi sighed, her kind eyes filled with immeasurable sorrow.

"Before you judge her too harshly, I guess I'll have to start at the beginning."


	4. Chapter 4: Kaien

**Hurray! I've got some reviewers! Those totally awesome people are: **8yume **and** Samps432**! Thank you very much and I'm glad you're enjoying the story so far! **

**So without further ado, here is part 1 of Akira's past.**

* * *

"About twelve years ago," Kasumi began. "Akira's real village was attacked by pirates . . . "

_Balawítzo Village, 12 years ago_

Akira lived in a small town with her parents. It was a small fishing town, but since many East Blue pirates wishing to enter the Grand Line passed by, it was a common stop. Most of the pirates didn't pay them much heed, they just came to purchase necessary supplies before setting off. Lots of them also knew about the reputation of marines to be stationed at Loguetown to capture pirates, so those who wanted to avoid that town came to this one. The townspeople enjoyed the pirates' company and it was a happy atmosphere, one that many pirates felt safe coming to.

It was a bright, sunny day, and eight-year-old Akira was walking alongside her father, carrying food for the store that their family owned. One of the family friends, Haru called out, "Another group of pirates are here!"

"Can we go meet them at the dock, father? Can we?" Akira begged.

The man laughed. "You'll see them when they come through town. Right now we need to deliver this to your mother." She pouted but relented, eager to see the new pirates.

A few minutes later she and her parents stood outside as well as other villagers, eagerly expecting the arrival of the newcomers. Like Akira's family, many people received most of their income from passing pirates, so their arrival was always a happy occasion.

The little girl gazed in awe at the large procession. The captain was large with gray hair that stuck out in weird positions as if he had been struck by lightning, he wore thick goggles, long rubber gloves, and a long white doctor's smock. He halted his men and inspected the village with glee, sniffing the air as if it reminded him of home.

"Right. All you good people," he proclaimed, stretching forth his hands into the air. "I, Salcón, will make this as quick and painless as possible. If you hand me over all your children, I will let you live in peace."

The street was dead silent as everyone stared at the man in alarm.

"What do you need our children for?" Akira's father yelled once he found his voice. "You've got to be joking!"

"No, I'm not," Salcón said seriously. "If you don't do as I say—" He gestured to his men who were all staring at them hungrily, some even running their thumbs on their sword blade. "—then I shall be forced to unleash my men upon you. Regrettably, they aren't as kind as me and will not spare your lives."

"Over my dead body," Akira's father sneered. He stepped in front of his daughter and threw his arms out to shield her.

"Suit yourself."

BANG!

"FATHER!" Akira screamed wildly as her mother caught their father, blood streaming out of his chest. His unfocused eyes sought them and grasped both their hands.

"I . . . love—you. Don't . . . let them take . . . her." With that his eyes closed and he moved no more.

Everyone looked at Akira's mother, wondering what she would do. They were a prominent family in the village, and their advice was eagerly sought when times were bad. She stood up, staring at the ground. Finally she clenched her fist and grinned manically, locking eyes with the smirking pirates.

"There is no way in hell we are giving up our children," she said simply. Then she quickly pulled a dagger from within her boot and charged towards the pirates, tears running down her face as screaming villagers ran behind her, wielding all manner of weapons. Being somewhat of a pirate town, all the adults knew how to fight and some had secret weapons concealed within their clothes in case some drunken pirates ever got out of hand.

"All right men! I gave them their warning. Do what you want, but bring back all the children alive to me!" Salcón ordered gleefully, adding in that last warning.

"Yes, Captain Salcón!"

Akira couldn't tear her eyes away as all the people she had grown to love, including her mother, were slaughtered by pirates. Tears streamed down her face as blood and bodies permeated the streets. She grasped onto her father's arm, prepared to never let go as she listened to the cries of brave parents and townspeople taking up arms against the pirates to protect the ones they loved, as well as the screams of children being snatched from their home.

Two large boots came to her side. "Now, you don't want to end up like your parents, do ya?" an all too familiar voice called out. Akira glanced up to see Salcón staring down at her, unable to contain his glee. Too shocked to move, his burly hand reached down and grabbed her by the waist, away from her father.

Akira quickly bit his hand hard, his blood seeping through her teeth marks in his glove before trickling into her mouth. The pirate yelped in surprise and flung her off. The little girl landed on the ground next to her father, snatched the dagger concealed within his clothes, and impaled it into the pirate's leg.

He stopped screaming for a moment, and slowly turned to her. "You're going to have to do a lot more to me than _that_ to kill me," he said slowly. The last thing Akira remembered were his large hands rushing up to her face, immense pain in her head, and then darkness.

* * *

When Akira next awoke it was dark and damp, and the ground felt as if it were moving. She struggled and sat up, rubbing the side of her face where she had been hit. Then she noticed she was bound with chains on her arms and legs. Glancing around, she saw she was surrounded by dozens and dozens of children ranging from three to ten years old. Some were awake like she was, sniffling and curled up in a ball, while others were sleeping, or some just staring off into space like an empty shell.

However, what alarmed her was that some of the children didn't look like children at all. Some were floating in the air, staying in place by the chains around them, some were covered in large burn marks, some with extra limbs, some with no limbs, some looked like they were part sand, and many other ailments. As she whimpered in horror, a small voice called out, "Are you awake?"

Startled, Akira spun around and noticed a small boy lying next to her, approximately her age. He had spiky, dark brown hair, black eyes, and a white shirt with blue shorts. The puzzling thing about him was that he was grinning from ear to ear.

"Oh, good. I was thinking you were dead," he stated simply, pushing himself to a sitting position. "I saw them take you in here and you weren't moving, so I wondered if you were dead." Akira just stared, taken aback by his brash truthfulness and apparent cheery attitude.

"Where are we?" Akira managed to let out.

"Here? I don't know," the boy shrugged pleasantly, as if there was nothing out of the ordinary of the place they were at. "I was brought here a few days ago, but no one's told me about this place at all."

"We're on Salcón's ship," a voice rang out. The two children looked towards the speaker, and noticed it was one of the older kids. His voice was raspy and forced; his face covered in shadows so they were unable to know if it was really him.

"Salcón's ship?" the boy asked, making sure he heard right. The figure nodded, still keeping his face obscured.

"He's a pirate!" Akira suddenly remembered, picturing the man from her village. The figure nodded again. "But, what does he want with us?"

"You ever hear of the Devil's Fruits?" the voice asked. Both children nodded. "Well, Salcón wants to go to the Grand Line, and he believes that giving him and his whole crew the power of the Devil's Fruits means a greater possibility of making it through alive so they can get One Piece. However, it is almost impossible to find a Devil's Fruit, and it's not like they are all in one place. Many have already been eaten by people."

"Besides being a pirate, Salcón is also a scientist," the boy continued. "He believes that he can create the powers of a Devil's Fruit through experimentation, and that's where we come in."

"He—he's experimenting o-on . . . us?" Akira squealed. Even the younger boy's smile faltered a little.

The figure nodded yet again. "They haven't been very successful, and he needs a lot of test subjects. He figures children are better to use because we are weaker than adults and have a lower chance of being able to fight back, so he goes from village to village stealing children whenever he needs new ones." The other child paused, then lifted up his head so they could see.

"We are all lab rats."

Akira and the little boy screamed in horror at the other boy's face, grabbing onto each other for support.

His face was a mangled mess. He had three eyes which weren't looking in any particular direction, his skin was sagging and gray like a rotting corpse, and he had no ears.

"What happened to you?!" the young boy shrieked. The figure chuckled, sounding more like a dying bird.

"Let's see," he said sarcastically, his jaw moving like a broken puppet. The two eight-year-olds were amazed that he could talk. "I believe the power they tried to make me have was one where I would grow extra limbs at will to help in any situation, like a flower—the Hana Hana fruit. Unfortunately, I am unable to control exactly what I grow. As you can see, I've grown an extra eye as well as this."

He lifted up his right arm slowly, and the children whimpered as they saw the underside of it was littered in thumbs. "My ears have disappeared and regrown on the back of my head, and my facial skin is dead. They've tried their best to counter the effects, but it won't be long before they toss me in the ocean as a failure."

"How old are you?" Akira sobbed, unable to bear looking at the figure before her.

He paused for a moment, then said sadly, "Nine."

* * *

For the next day, or hour, neither of them quite knew, Akira and the little boy laid there, hugging each other for warmth and protection. Akira was plagued with nightmares.

She would be walking along with her parents, then Salcón would jump out of the shadows and give them a shot, turning them into identical zombies like the one before her, chanting, "Lab rats . . . lab rats . . . lab rats . . . "

Later on, she was wrenched from her position and the chains were released. Too frightened to open her eyes, Akira felt herself being carried up the stairs and into the blinding light where she was thrown to the ground.

When she finally opened her eyes, she saw that she was on deck with other children from her village, and those from the other boy's village, she assumed. Frantically she searched for the boy but saw him a few feet away, trying to clear his head.

Salcón paced in front of them, as if waiting to deliver a speech. Wide-eyed, all the children silently watched him. "All right twerps," he finally cried out. "From now on, you will be my experiments. I am trying to attain the powers of the Devil's Fruits, and you are all just going to help me with this."

"In a few minutes, you will be given a new name, which will be with you . . . _forever_," he chuckled. "I'm not good at remembering names, just numbers. Then you will be taken into a room where you will be given a 'superhuman' power. If all goes well and you perform a few tests for us, then you are free to go." Everyone's ears perked up at that.

"You," one of the pirates said, stepping forward and pointing at a blue haired girl next to Akira. "You are 71." After another pirate next to Salcón wrote that down, the first pirate grabbed the child and dragged her to the door.

Akira watched numbly as child by child was taken. Finally the boy she had met previously was dubbed, "84" and then a pirate with purple hair and a large nose pointed at her and proclaimed, "85" and dragged her through the door as well.

She was brought into a sterile, white room, where she was then strapped to a vertical table, her arms and legs locked behind a steel manacle above and below her. After writing down a few notes, the pirate inspected her for a second, then ripped off a piece of her shirt on the right side above her waist.

"What are you—" The words died in her throat as she noticed the iron tong in his hand that he was molding into the number 85. Akira watched in horror and he stuck it into a fire and withdrew when it was red hot. Vainly, Akira tried to struggle but it was no use. Her screams reverberated around the room as the hot iron pressed against her flesh.

What felt like hours later, the young girl was tossed back into the damp belly of the ship, chained next to the boy again. Wiping away her tears she glanced at her friend and screamed. He was lying on his back, and his arms and legs were stretched out, as if he were made out of taffy. Upon hearing her scream he opened his eyes.

"Hey, what's wrong with you?" he asked cheerfully.

"What do you mean, what's wrong with me?!" she exploded, tears streaming down her face. "You're all stretched out and can't move!"

The boy shrugged. "I'm a rubberman! They told me they were trying to give me the effects of a—" he struggled to remember, "Gomu Gomu fruit!" He paused and looked at her, noticing the burn marks on her chest and arms. "What's yours?"

"The Mera Mera fruit. I can only make blue fire erupt from my hands, not my whole body like you're supposed to. I also can't control it, so they're keeping me here." The boy smiled weakly.

"Isn't this great, we get tattoos! I've always wanted one, but I don't think I wanted the number 84."

"How can you be so happy? Our parents are dead, and we're being used in scientific experiments until we end up like _them!_" she screamed, pointing at the disfigured child. "How can you be so happy?!"

After pausing for a minute, the boy said, "The only way we can get out of here is by getting the superhuman power and being able to control it, right?" Akira nodded slowly. "So, the only way to get free is by trying to use my power properly and I'll be able to leave! I'm just going to work hard and wait until that happens."

Akira simply stared at him. _In one way, he's right, but on the other, it's impossible. _Then she remembered something her mother had said.

_Sometimes, the best way to deal with a situation is to be positive and look on the bright side of things_, she had told Akira. It was when they were undergoing a depression of sorts with the lack of pirates coming through.

_But this is way different than being happy while waiting for more food!_ Akira protested in her mind. _How can he keep that attitude here?_

"So what's your name?" the boy continued, interrupting her thoughts.

"Akira."

"My name's Kaien. You will be my nakama!" He struggled for a moment then stretched out his hand just far enough for her to reach, and they shook on it.

* * *

For the next three months, Akira and Kaien grew very close, keeping each other cheery and coming up with wild tales and stories about what will happen when they gain control of their powers and escape. The other children joined in, and the mood became much lighter as the battered and disfigured kids tried to keep their sanity with all the torture and death around them.

"I'm going to be a great pirate some day," Kaien had decided. "Then all of us can travel on a ship and sail the Grand Line, and anywhere else we want to go! No one will be able to stop us because we will have our powers!"

"Yeah!" Akira chuckled. Even though Salcón had tainted her vision of pirates, she still wanted to be one.

"My dream is to become a famous pirate and help others with my power!" Kaien proclaimed, his eyes flushing with excitement.

"Me too!"

At the end of the three months, the scientists had improved their techniques, and most of the children were gaining control over their powers.

"When we get out of here, I'm going to buy you some gloves to cover up your hands, Akira-chan!" Kaien would boast. Because of her power, her hands had become permanently scarred from the constant fire. "Some really nice ones, maybe with dragon leather!"

"And I'll get you as much food as you can eat, Kaien-san!" The little boy would constantly complain about there not being enough food for them.

"Oi, this is a secret, so you can't tell anyone," Kaien whispered to her one day.

"What is it?" Akira leaned forward, eager to see what he could possibly have.

"This is my lucky coin," he said proudly, pulling out a gold piece from his boot. Akira gasped.

"How did you get that?"

"My father gave it to me, the day I was taken," he said solemnly. "He said I could use it to buy anything I wanted since I had been helping him at the shop. I put it in my boot so I wouldn't lose it, and then the pirates came." Akira was silent as she remembered what happened the day she was taken.

"But I've been saving it, and I'm going to spend it on anything I want, as soon as I'm free!"

* * *

Finally, the day the children had all been waiting for had come. They were all lined up together in the largest room on the ship. Akira had been shocked at how thin and ragged looking everyone was, but they were all eager with excitement at the prospect of having control over their powers and their freedom.

One by one they were each administered a shot, and Akira didn't flinch. She had been given so many shots that her arm was littered with tiny needle points. After ten minutes had passed, all the children turned to normal and they began trying out their powers, with success.

"Look at me, Akira!" Kaien yelled as he stretched his arms and head at will. "I'm a real rubberman now!"

Soon the room was filled with children's laughter and the joyful cries of all the pirates who were crying and hugging each other. Salcón shot a gun into the air to get everyone's attention.

"All right children," he said kindly. "If you will be patient for just a moment longer, we will withdraw some of your blood so we can make a serum, and then you are free to go!" This was met with rounds of applause and all the children hugged each other.

A few children stepped forward and had their blood drawn, but were then injected with something else. At their alarm the pirates said softly, "Don't worry; this will just help you get healthier."

The smiles disappeared as the children noticed something was wrong. Suddenly the first child to have her blood drawn gasped and fell to the floor, dead.

"IDIOT! You gave her too much! They are supposed to die together later!" Everyone gasped. All the children seared with rage.

"YOU PROMISED!" they screamed in unison. The pirate captain shrugged.

"Can't have you go around with the powers _we want_, now, can we?"

"Captain, why did you let them know that?" a crew member yelled in frustration. He shrugged again.

"Even though they have powers, they're just kids, right? They are no match for us."

"Oh yeah?" Kaien yelled. Utter silence. "CHARGE!" With that all the children attacked the pirates with all their might, their hopes and shattered dreams giving them the courage and adrenaline to do so. After a while it appeared as if the children were winning.

"How are you doing?" Akira asked as she and Kaien backed up against each other, his fist flying everywhere while balls of fire were conjured by her.

"Pretty good," he grinned. "This is the most fun I've had in my life!" Then he turned and watched all the falling children. "We should get out of here quickly," he said, grabbing her shoulder and running. Akira nodded in agreement and together they fled. As they ran through the halls, some pirates came after them.

"Looks like they've decided to chase us!" Akira yelled. "What should we do?"

Suddenly, Kaien stopped running and turned to face the oncoming pirates.

"What are you doing? Let's go!"

Kaien shook his head and turned to face her, his infamous smile plastered on his face. "You go ahead. I'll hold them off so you can prepare a boat."

"Are you sure? What if you die? WHAT ABOUT YOUR DREAM?"

Kaien grinned. "Then you'd better take this," he said, tossing her something. Akira quickly caught it and discovered it was his gold coin. "Just in case I don't make it." Her eyes began watering as she realized that she would probably never see him again.

"KAIEN!" Still grinning, he waved goodbye with one hand as the other flew behind him and collided with her stomach, sending her flying down the hallway. Once she slammed into the door she quickly unlatched it, entering the sunshine. Grabbing a boat, she untied it and set it near the edge, vainly waiting for Kaien.

Suddenly the door flew open and the pirates rushed out, battered and bloody. "You'll pay for that, rat!" Salcón came bursting out between the other pirates, his eyes wild.

"You're all alone! Here's your friend!" Akira screamed until her voice was sore, for in Salcón's hands was the limp body of Kaien, impaled by a sword.

"Rubber can't bounce back a sword," the captain muttered dangerously.

As her friend was thrown to the ground at Salcón's feet, Akira was seized with an uncontrollable hatred.

Her eyes glowed and the very air was being choked by her anger. "DIE!" she screamed as enormous columns of blue fire erupted from her hands, engulfing the pirates before her. One rolled underneath the wall and lay gasping for air through his melted skin, and pleaded with her to stop.

She could make out a faint, "T-the . . . gun—powder."

Soon enough, there was a massive explosion, and Akira as well as what was left of the pirates were flung into the air in various directions. As the young girl came hurling into the water, she vaguely recalled hearing that those with the Devil's Fruit powers were cast from the sea and unable to swim. Frantically, she rolled over as much as she could, aiming for some debris that was floating in the water.

By sheer luck she landed on a large enough piece of driftwood that slowly carried her away from the destruction. With what little strength she had, Akira lifted her head to see if there were any survivors, but realized with a pang of regret that if there were any surviving fellow comrades of hers, they were sinking to the bottom of the ocean at the moment, completely helpless.

Overcome by sadness, she laid her head, utterly exhausted; not caring if she lived or died.

* * *

**Well, there's the first half of her story! I hope it was believable, because those pirates can get pretty greedy and will do whatever they can to survive the Grand Line.**


	5. Chapter 5: New Life, Village, Troubles

**My awesome reviewers are: **Leelu's skittles **and** anon. **Again, thank you for those kind reviews. **

**

* * *

**

It was a cloudy day and Kasumi was busy picking mushrooms by the shore. They were the key ingredient for her head flu medicine. Since it was fall, many villagers contracted it with the weather change. After gathering all the mushrooms she required, Kasumi stood up and gazed at the sea, brushing back some hair behind her ear. She breathed in the salty air and grinned, recalling the days she spent as a Marine doctor in her younger years. Now she craved a more peaceful life, as a doctor in Sakouli village.

Right before she turned to leave Kasumi spotted something in the distance. Squinting, she tried to discover what it was. She gasped in alarm when she realized what it was and dropped her basket, running to the closest house to the sea.

"Raya!" Kasumi screamed frantically, pounding on the door. "I need your help! Grab your boat!"

"What is it, Kasumi?" Raya asked concernedly. She had never seen her friend act like this before in all the years she had seen her.

"There is a young girl floating on a piece of driftwood a couple meters out, and she looks like she might be dead! There are seagulls circling her and we have to rescue her!"

Raya gasped and yelled at her husband and children to get the boat and alert other people to help.

Ten minutes later Akira lay lifeless on the shore with most of the village encircling her, worried for her safety. Kasumi was searching for a heartbeat, and she cried out with happiness when she discovered a very faint one.

"Stand back! Raya, get me some blankets! Steven, go to my office and prepare some boiling water! Everyone else give me some room!" Kasumi then carefully scooped up the frail child and brought the girl to her office. A few hours later, Akira lay wrapped in blankets and new clothes, with an IV in her arm and a respirator over her mouth, but nonetheless alive.

"What do you suppose happened to her?" Kisho asked. All the prominent leaders of the village were in Kasumi's study, discussing the mysterious girl.

"Did you notice all those bruises around her wrist and ankles?"

"And what about all those scars around the inside of her elbow?"

"I have an idea of what happened," Gina said softly, stepping forward. When she reached the sleeping girl she gingerly pulled the blankets back and lifted her shirt far enough so the burned "85" could be seen.

"Salcón."

All the adults gasped. After his raid on Balawítzo village, Salcón's treacherous deeds had become known and widespread, with many villages requesting a large Marine armada to be stationed on each island until he was terminated. It was said that he was committing acts against God, creating monsters at will and preparing to unleash them upon the world.

"So, this is one of the children he captured? She looks normal to me," Raya remarked.

"Of course she does," Hiroshi snapped. "Until she wakes up and turns on all of us. She used to be a sweet child, but after all those experiments done on her, I wouldn't doubt it if she kills us in our sleep. She will—" He was interrupted by Kasumi's fist. As the police chief fell to the ground everyone stared at the doctor in shock. Kasumi treated injuries, so she never struck or hurt another living thing unless it was absolutely necessary.

"There's no need for your bigotry here, Hiroshi," she snarled, clenching her fist. "The accusations will be made against this child after we've had time to see what she's truly like. If you can't help it, take your prejudice outside of my house." There was complete silence as everyone waited for Hiroshi's response. Glaring at Kasumi, he wiped his mouth and stood up, avoiding everyone's eyes.

"Now then," Kasumi began sweetly, "I will watch over her until she wakes, and then I shall call for you. Chances are she won't become conscious for a while. I thank you all for your generous help." Everyone nodded as they left and Kasumi bowed.

* * *

Akira found herself in a bright room, covered in warm blankets and surrounded by mouthwatering scents that made her starved stomach growl in pain. Akira sat up and rubbed the sleep out of her eyes before glancing around.

"Oh good, I'm glad you're up dear," a sweet and kind voice called out. Akira spun around and saw an elderly woman smiling at her. She was holding a plate of warm soup, bread, and an apple as well as a glass of milk. The girl's eyes widened at the prospect of food.

"My name's Kasumi. What's yours?"

"Akira," the girl croaked, her parched throat sore and swollen.

"I suppose you're hungry." Akira nodded fervently, ready to snatch the plate and devour it in one bite. "All right, here you go," she said, placing it on the girl's lap. "Make sure to eat it slow—" The words died in her throat as she watched the child attack the food like a starved animal. Only when Akira started choking did Kasumi snatch the food away and help her breath properly.

"Hey! You need to eat slowly, especially when you're starved like that!" the doctor said sternly. "You'll also get a stomachache." As if on cue Akira clutched her stomach and doubled over in pain. "Here, let me help you," Kasumi offered kindly.

"So, what's your story, Akira?" the doctor asked once the girl's meal was finished and she gained some healthy color in her cheeks.

"I—I don't know," she admitted softly. Kasumi frowned and stared at the girl, trying to see if she was lying. It soon became apparent that she truly could not remember.

_Could it be amnesia?_ The doctor wondered to herself. _What happened to her? _

* * *

A few days later Kasumi and Akira were having dinner at Raya's restaurant. The two friends sat at the counter watching the children play. Everyone had warmed up to Akira quickly, despite Hiroshi's warning.

"So, do you really have a tattoo?" Shinzo asked, gesturing to Akira's stomach.

"Yeah!" she said proudly. "Wanna see?" All the children gathered around as she lifted up her shirt, displaying the prominent burn mark.

"Cool!"

"So, she really doesn't remember anything?" Raya questioned at the counter.

She nodded slowly. "No matter what I do, I can't get her to remember anything. Probably best that way. What happened to her was probably worse than anything we could imagine. She'll be happier without the memory."

Raya smiled at Akira playing tag with her children. "I guess you're right."

"Hiroshi said that you were on a pirate ship!" Lukina yelled excitedly.

"Really? I don't remember, but I wish I did," Akira frowned.

"Awww," Lukina pouted. "I think he said that you were on, what was his name . . . Salcón's ship!" Akira's face darkened and the adults glanced up in fear as the temperature of the room rose uncomfortably.

"AKIRA!" It was too late. All of her memories came rushing back, overflowing her mind so much that she couldn't think straight. All she knew was anger and hatred at the moment.

Blue fire erupted from Akira's hands and engulfed the restaurant. The other children screamed in fear and pain as the adults rushed to their aid, coughing from the smoke and carrying them out of the restaurant. Kasumi tried to get to Akira, but Raya tugged on her arm.

"She's the source of the fire! You go any closer and you'll burn to death! We have to leave!" Against her wishes Kasumi obeyed, joining everyone outside to stare at the ruined shop.

Most of the village had already gathered around the victims by then and a lot of the men were busy throwing barrels upon barrels of water on the fire. They had to stop it before the embers flew to the other buildings and the whole town erupted in flames.

Once it was out everyone silently stared at the remains of the most popular restaurant in Sakouli village, wondering if the girl survived. Suddenly some of the boards moved and Akira burst forth from the wreckage, her clothes badly singed and torn, small trickles of blood flowing down her arms, and burn marks littering her body. The young girl wheezed as she stared at everyone, taking in the terrified expressions of all her friends, their ruined clothing, and the furious glares of the parents.

"You almost killed us all!" Raya shrieked at last, pulling her three whimpering children closer.

"Monster!"

"Get out of our village and never come back!"

Akira stared at everyone, tears streaming down her face, unable to believe that the people who had been so kind had turned against her so quickly.

"I—I . . . I didn't mean to!" she pleaded.

"See! I told you this would happen!" Hiroshi declared, pointing at her. "Sooner or later she will ruin our whole village with her monstrous powers! She cannot control them! There will be no telling when this happens again. Do you want your children to die at her hand?!"

"NO!"

Kasumi stared in amazement as the people she had grown to love turn on an innocent child. She understood that Raya was acting out of worry for her childrens' safety at the moment, but that was no reason to do this. She watched as an already tortured and ruined soul was beaten and destroyed again. Akira took one last glance at the hateful people before turning around and escaping into the trees behind the restaurant.

"AKIRA!" Kasumi pushed herself off the ground and tried to chase after her.

"Stop, Kasumi!" She turned around to face Hiroshi. He pointed to the sobbing children.

"Tend to the wounds of your people first," he ordered.

The doctor realized he was right, and that she had an obligation to them. "Please be safe," she muttered under her breath.

* * *

Kasumi spent that whole night searching for Akira. She glanced up at the tall hill that overlooked the village and the sea in desperation, figuring it would be a perfect place to run to. Sure enough, Akira was curled up underneath an apple tree, several cores strewn about her. As she got closer she could hear her sobbing.

"Akira? Are you all right?" Kasumi asked gently, placing a hand on her shoulder. Big blue eyes stared up at her, full of more pain and sorrow than a young child should know.

"Why are you here?" the girl cried. "I'm a demon, you'd better go away."

"No you're not! Don't let me ever catch you calling yourself that!" Kasumi ordered sternly.

"It's the truth!" Akira wailed. "I'm a demon, a _lab rat_—" She was interrupted by a sharp slap from the doctor.

"If you _ever_ insult yourself like that again, I'll hit you another time. You are _not_ a demon, lab rat, or monster. You are a little girl who has been cruelly and unjustly genetically altered. All you need to do is train and gain control this ability of yours."

"Y-yes." Akira bit her lip and tried to fight back the tears. Kasumi smiled and held out her arms. Akira was reluctant at first, but the prospect of a warm hug was too great. She leapt in to the doctor's arms, who rocked her back and forth as she sobbed.

Once she was done, Kasumi set Akira on her lap and looked around at the apple cores lying all over the ground.

"You like apples, huh?" Akira nodded vigorously.

"Th-they're my favorite."

"Well you're in luck then, my apple blossom," Kasumi chuckled.

Akira's eyes brightened. "Really?"

"Of course. This is a wild orchard, since no one bothers to care for them. Here," Kasumi stood up and grabbed two apples off the tree and tossed one to her. They sat there in silence, munching on their fruit and listening to the ocean waves.

"I really like this place," Akira said. "I think it would be nice to live up here. It's far enough away from the village, I can see the ocean, and there are a lot of apple trees!"

Kasumi chuckled. "I think there is an abandoned fishing hut around here somewhere. You could live there if you want."

"That would be fun!" Akira exclaimed. "Can you show me it?"

"Later. So, how old are you, apple blossom?" Kasumi asked.

"Nine," she answered quietly. Then she let out a dry laugh. "You know, I'm the same age as that boy."

"What boy, dear?" Kasumi was eager to finally learn about the poor girl's past, but she knew she had to be patient.

"The boy—the boy—that boy on the ship!" Kasumi instantly regretted it as Akira started to sound hysterical. "He had three eyes, dead skin, a broken jaw but he could still talk—his ears were in the back of his head, and he had thumbs all over his arm like this," (she demonstrated by pointing at her own arm) "and it was awful—just awful!!" Kasumi tried to calm her down, but Akira would have none of it.

"He had been there for three months but he never got better—never improved. S-so they broke his arms and legs—so he couldn't escape—and threw him overboard! He was just my age, nine years old!"

"But that wasn't the worst of it!" she screamed and started grabbing her hair, "there were other children like him—it was like . . . like a type of zoo, but it all little kids who looked like they were all mutants, more like monsters instead of kids!"

"AND NOW I'M ONE OF THEM!" Kasumi decided that was enough. She grabbed the hysterical girl and hugged her so tightly that she couldn't move, then gave her a shot with an anesthetic.

"I'm sorry," Kasumi whispered.

* * *

For the next four months Kasumi took care of Akira in her own house. Kasumi had to be careful, but she wasn't going to let a nine-year-old fend for herself. Almost every night for the first two months Akira had nightmares. Kasumi would tire of it sometimes, but when Akira would cry out half asleep about some horrible experience, Kasumi would forget all about her troubles and put all her energy in trying to heal the girl.

After three months had passed, Akira almost lit Kasumi's house on fire when remembering about Kaien. The doctor then decided that it was time for Akira to get her own house. She and the girl spent many afternoons and nights refurbishing the rundown fishing hut so it was liveable. Once they were finished, Akira insisted that Kasumi return to her lifestyle and let her live by herself.

"Well, I guess this would happen someday," the doctor admitted. She had come with some basic supplies for the girl to begin a life on her own. "I have a present for you. Two actually." Akira's eyes widened.

"Here's the first one." She tossed Akira a pair of black gloves with the tips cut off. "I've been thinking of a way to help you with your problem of controlling your power, since it seems like it's triggered by emotions as well as your will. Just soak them in water, so when you wear them you will be unable to accidentally set anything on fire anymore, huh?" Akira quickly nodded and ran to the sink, soaked them in water, and then put them on.

"Thank—"

"Don't thank me yet, apple blossom," Kasumi scolded, shaking her finger at her. "I've still got one thing to give you." She held out a necklace with a gold coin on it.

"Isn't this your nakama's?"

"I thought I lost that! Where did you find it?" Akira asked. She took it from the doctor and examined it fondly.

"You were holding onto it so tightly that day I found you I was worried that I might have to amputate your hand just to get it out. I realized it must mean something to you—and I was going to return it—but by the way you were acting I thought it would be best to give it to you when you were more in control."

"Thank you, Kasumi-sama!" Akira leapt and gave her a large hug. "How can I ever thank you for all you've done for me?"

"Well, there is one thing," the doctor smirked, rubbing her chin. "I guess for payment, you can become my assistant!" Akira gasped. "I need help around my office, and I need to pass along my wisdom to someone else. You can come work for me, and if someone ever comes for help, you can hide and supervise what I do so you can learn. What do you think? Would you like to become a doctor?"

"Yes! Kasumi-sama!"

* * *

"And so, for the past couple years I have been training her to the bone, beating everything I know into her," Kasumi finished.

The house was silent as everyone processed what had just been revealed to them.

"That's horrible," Nami said finally, rubbing her eyes.

"She went through all of that and she was only eight?" Usopp shivered, thinking about having to live on a ship like that.

Zoro clutched his white katana angrily, all three swords practically screaming to go and cut something.

"How could a person do that to children?" Sanji wondered darkly. "I wish I could—"

"THAT IS UNFORGIVABLE!" Luffy howled, standing up with furious eyes and clenching his hands into fists. "I'm gonna kick that guy's—"

"He's already dead, Luffy!" Kasumi yelled, trying to calm down the captain.

"Oh? Well, than I'll just go make her my nakama and doctor then," he said happily. Kasumi raised her eyebrows at the rapid mood swing of the rubber captain. Everyone quickly agreed and ran outside to find Akira, but she was gone.

"Uh, where did she go, Kasumi?" Luffy asked peering all over the landscape. "What's that? Are they having a barbeque? Let's go!" Everyone turned and saw the plume of smoke coming from the village. Kasumi gasped.

"It's not a barbeque, it's Raimon!"

"What? That smoke is coming from a person?"

"No, he's the Marine Captain stationed her, looking for you. He's known as Bionic Raimon. He's more machine than human now." She gasped again. "He must have seen your ship, and is trying to burn down the village since they won't turn you in!"

"But they know nothing about us!" Nami protested.

"Exactly! Then that means—" Kasumi looked around the hill vainly. "Don't tell me, you went down there to fight him, Akira!"

* * *

**EDIT: Eh . . . don't know if this works, but I'm trying to follow the natural order of how Oda introduces a new character.**


	6. Chapter 6: Fighting Raimon

**Hello everyone! Sorry this took so long, but I've had finals, yaddi-yaddi-yadda. Today was my last one, and it was AP Calculus! Uggg, talk about depressing. 7am-10am! Gross. Anyway, h****ere are my fantabulous reviewers: **cardcaptor eternity, anon, Straw Hat Melody, **and **Rambler Kaolin! **All your reviews were very enjoyable to read.**

**Oh, and here's a special dedication to** Straw Hat Melody**, who's reviewed pretty much all my chapters! She gets a muffin!**

* * *

After Akira ran outside the house, she sat underneath her favorite apple tree and wept, thinking about Kaien.

_Why does he remind me so much of Kaien! And he wanted me to be his nakama. I really want to become a pirate, but I couldn't put them in danger! They've been so nice to me, I don't want anything to happen to them. _She glanced at the house, wiping away tears. _Kasumi must be telling them all about me_, she figured. _Oh well, they'll just leave soon. I don't want— _

Suddenly there was a large explosion and she snapped her attention to the village where she could see billows of smoke beginning to rise.

_Is that Raimon? Crap! He saw the pirate ship and is trying to make the villagers give them up! He thinks that they know where Luffy is, but they have no idea. I have to save the village, as well as my new friends!_

* * *

"Oi! I'm going to burn every single house down if you don't give me those pirates!" Raimon roared, brandishing a large rotating mace and burning wood pillars for arms.

Everyone shrank back behind whatever they could find, praying that he would not target the place they were next. Since the day he and his crew had been stationed in their village, he had been nothing but trouble yet no one, not even his crew, could stop him. The most he did was come up with a crazy tax one day or demand a large feast in his honor, as "payback" for sheltering them from any pirates who would attack—mainly the Straw Hat pirates.

But he had never done this before. It had been a relatively normal day until one of his subordinates came running through the village, declaring that the Straw Hat's ship had been spotted not that far from the eastern shore. Upon hearing this Raimon cackled with glee and demanded to be shown where the pirates were. As the people stared at him in disbelief he grew angry and started threatening them, ignoring their protests that they hadn't seen any pirates since he was stationed on their island.

"You! Hitocha, or whatever your name is," Raimon continued, changing the mace to a long black chain. "You're the head police officer here, right?" The chain lashed out and wrapped around Hiroshi's waist and whipped him around, causing him to collide with a building before bringing the officer up to face him.

"If you want to protect your people, then you'd better do as I say and throw out those pirates you are protecting, idiot!" He threw the sputtering and bleeding officer to the ground once more before releasing him.

"WHERE ARE THEY?" Just as he was about to deliver a finishing kick to the battered officer, a blue fireball collided with his face.

"Get out of this village, Raimon!"

Everyone spun around to see Akira in the distance, a small amount of fire conjured in each of her hands. "You've come here, flaunting the fact that you are Marines, and using that excuse for your selfish reasons! I will not let you rule over Sakouli Village anymore!"

"Huh? Who are you? Did you eat a Devil's Fruit?" Raimon asked, temporarily forgetting the officer he had been trying to kill.

Akira smirked. "No, I just happened to be at the wrong place at the wrong time. However, you better leave before I unleash all my power on you."

"Oh, _now_ I remember. You must be that demon or monster girl that everyone hates in this town. Why risk your life for them, kid? I don't want to hurt civilians if I can help it, so don't make me—"

"Looks like you don't really have any problem with that," she snarled, gesturing to Hiroshi and the burning building off to her right. "As for protecting them, I'm only doing it because I can't stand to see people hurt by another for no good reason. Plus, Kasumi would have to tend to everyone and if anyone died, she'd be sad." She narrowed her eyes and grinned malevolently. "And _anyone_ who makes Kasumi sad will have to deal with me."

"With you? Bah!" Raimon erupted in almost uncontrollable laughter. Akira gritted her teeth and flung three fireballs at him, which he blocked them with a large shield he conjured from within his chest.

"You can't stand to see people hurt by another for no good reason? So do you mean to tell me that these people really don't know about the Straw Hat Crew?" Akira rolled her eyes.

"That's what I've been tryin—"

"And how do you know they don't know about these pirates?" he asked darkly. "Is it because you know where Monkey D. Luffy is?"

"Heh, what if I do?" she taunted, rather enjoying this in spite of herself.

"Care to let me know?" Raimon withdrew the shield and brandished the long chain. "No? Well, then _let me beat it out of you!_" The Marine captain charged, swinging his chain around so fast it was a mere blur.

"I'd like to see you try." All the villagers watched in wonder and amazement at the battle that ensued.

Raimon dodged fireball after fireball as he and Akira came closer and closer. Finally he hurled the chain towards her, causing it to completely wrap around her body and incapacitate her, tossing her to the ground.

"Got you!" Raimon yelled. He changed his other arm into a large hammer and threw behind his head before swinging it down hard.

When the dust cleared all that was there was left was a melted chain.

"Where—" A large fireball collided with his back.

"What, looking for little old me?" Raimon followed her voice and discovered his prey sitting up on a nearby roof casually. "I'm a Logia type, and I'll be able to melt all your metal weapons!"

Raimon growled. Now she had gone too far; a mere child making a fool of him like that?

"True, true, but the real question is . . . how good are you at dodging?" The Marine Captain changed his hammer and melted chain into crossbows and began firing arrow after arrow at Akira. They came so fast that all she could do was dodge as many as she could.

When the onslaught was over, Akira discovered she had been pierced by three arrows, one in her shoulder, side of the chest, and thigh. She winced at the pain and bit her lip as she yanked them all out, splattering blood everywhere. Were it not for her years of medical training, Akira would be wary of the wounds she had received, but she knew they were not dangerous. She would just have to compensate and focus on not straining those muscles as she continued to fight.

"You'll pay for that!" Akira declared, pushing herself off the ground and grinning madly. _Never knew something like this could be so much fun! Now I can finally use my power without any fear of being rejected for it._

"Pathetic fool, you just don't know when to stop!" Raimon roared, this time changing both of his arms into large katanas.

"Akira, take this!" a voice called out, tossing her a katana. Startled, the girl caught it, unsure of what to do. Yet as she watched the captain charge, she came up with a great idea.

"_Mera Slash!_" There was a large clang and sparks flew as the three swords made contact. Everyone gasped at the sight of Raimon's two katanas being deflected by Akira's flaming blue katana.

"She's lighting the katana but it's not melting? How can she do that?" an onlooker declared in amazement.

"Heh, pretty good demon, but—can you do more than block?" Akira struggled against his strength as he pushed against her with all his might. Before long she was thrown back and Raimon swung around and attacked her with such ferocity and skill that it wasn't long before he ended up slashing Akira across the chest four times.

She cried out in pain as she slammed to the floor, her spilt blood flying all around. _Well, that was pretty much my first time holding a katana like this. Guess I should practice more before trying to attempt something like that again. _

Panting and coughing, Akira pushed herself off the ground and struggled to stay focused as her vision became blurry. Suddenly Raimon appeared above her and began beating her with . . . his fists?

_Is he trying to insult me?_ Akira thought as she was thrown around like a rag doll. _Deciding that I'm not even worth his full power?_ However, every time she escaped from his grasp, her vision blurred and she was unable to concentrate on her bearings long enough to come up with a counterattack. _Is this how I die? _

She tried her best to block hits and blows that she couldn't even see. A hit to her right leg, her head, her chest. _That's at least one broken rib, a small concussion, damaged rectus femoris, and torn tibialis anterior. There is little hope of me being able to fight properly now. If only I had more experience with my powers! I can't wi— _

"_**The only way we can get out of here is by achieving the superhuman power and being able to control it, right?"**_

_Kaien? _

"_**So, the only way to get free is by trying to use my power properly and I'll be able to leave! I'm just going to work hard and wait until that happens!"**_

_I tried! I tried! The truth is . . . I can't beat him! He's . . . too strong . . . for . . . me . . . _Akira felt her strength draining and darkness clouded her vision.

"_**My dream is to become a famous pirate and help others with my power!"**_

_Kaien? That's right. That was his dream as well as mine, my true dream. _

"_**Which makes me more resolved than ever! Now I am working to fulfill both dreams!"**_

_Zoro?! Now I remember, his nakama died like mine, they shared the same dream, and now he takes it upon himself to fulfill both dreams. Can I do the same? Can I—_ Then she remembered all the adventures of Luffy's crew and the conviction that Luffy and Kaien shared.

_That's right! I cannot die here! I need to become a pirate and help others! I need to fulfill Kaien's dream in his place! _

"_MERA WHIP!"_ People gasped in surprise as Raimon was thrown ten feet by a thin blue-fire whip. Akira pushed her battered and bloody body off the ground and brandished the whip, swinging it around her head. "Time to die, Raimon!"

Raimon inspected the long gash across his body, running a finger through the blood, before bringing it up to his face.

"Been a while since anyone's made me bleed. I'll commend you on that, but—" (he pointed the bloody finger at her) "—the next one to spill a drop of blood will be you!"

"We'll just see about that!" Akira charged, slashing the air with her powerful whip.

Raimon and Akira began the second round of their fight, with Akira appearing to have the upper hand. Her whip melted through most of his weapons, and he ended up getting slashed again and again.

"Who did you say would spill the next drop of blood, hn?" she taunted, dodging a spiky mace. "You won't be able to fight me now!"

Raimon swore. He never thought he could be defeated by a mere girl—and a freak of nature at that.

"Captain Raimon!" his subordinates cried out. "We'll back you up!" He growled, then let out his damaged chain and brought one of them close to him and began whispering something in his ear, to which the marine nodded.

"You don't have time to be talking to someone like him, Raimon!" Akira swung her whip down again which Raimon dodged just in time.

As they continued their fight, Akira couldn't help but notice the captain's relaxed pace, as if he were waiting for something. This only provoked her even more, and she fought with absolutely everything she had.

"NOW!" Akira frowned and tried to figure out what he meant, but then she was assaulted by a powerful burst of water. She flew fifteen feet until running into a building. Sputtering, she wiped her wet hair out of the way and noticed three marines grasping a large hose that extended into the ocean.

"Now that I've gotten rid of that pesky whip, you're done for." Raimon cocked two large guns at her, firing twice. Akira cursed as she realized her skin was too wet to conjure fire and tried to get out of the way, but failed.

There was silence as everyone watched the building explode from the impact. After the dust cleared they could see Akira wheezing on the ground, partially covered by a large piece of debris.

"Akira!" Raya couldn't believe that the girl they had all treated so horribly was protecting them all to the death. Shame clouded her expression, as well as the rest of the villagers.

"You're—ack! Going . . . t-to . . . have to . . . do better than that—to defeat . . . me . . . ack!" Akira began coughing up a large amount of blood and could talk no more. _I think that's three—no, four more broken ribs there. _

"Still alive? Pesky little wench aren't you. DIE!"

The villagers watched in dismay as two bullets the size of cannons sliced through the air towards the one they had all cast out from among them—the finishing blow. Just when all hope was lost, there was a flash of red and blue. It landed in front of the bullets' pathway, and to everyone's amazement, bounced them right back to the Marine Captain.

"OI! METAL BRAIN!" The dust cleared and Raimon put down his shield that he had used to deflect the two bullets.

"Oh? So you're finally come, Monkey D. Luffy," Raimon announced with pleasure.

Luffy chuckled. "Yep!" He turned to Akira. "It's all right, I'll take it from here."

"Lu—Luffy?" Akira couldn't believe her eyes. He was protecting her?

"You fought well, Akira-chan." She glanced to her left and saw the rest of the Straw Hat crew and Kasumi standing by. Sanji stepped forward and heaved the large piece of concrete off of her.

"Now it's our turn." Everyone got in a fighting stance.

"You better be prepared to die," Luffy warned, a dark shadow concealing his eyes. "I swear to kill anyone who hurts—" (he lifted his head and smiled dangerously)

"MY NAKAMA!"

* * *

**My favorite parts of the manga are when Luffy comes to save the day. It's such a glorious feeling.**


	7. Chapter 7: The Bonds of a Crew

**Did you guys think I forgot about this story? I would _never _forget . . . about****—Uh, anyway ****I should thank my reviewers! Thanks **HappyGirl282**,** Fabricated**,** pirateXfangirl**, and** crystalbluefox**! How about you all get a nice batch of chocolate chip cookies as a sorry from me for taking so freakin' long!**

**

* * *

**

"Your nakama?" Raimon scoffed. "She doesn't look like a pirate."

"Newest member of the crew," Usopp informed him. He reached into the pouch he had slung around his shoulder.

"What do I care? All that means is that I finally have the Straw Hats in my grasp and that 30 million beli bounty!" Raimon declared.

"Wouldn't be too sure of that," Zoro grinned as he placed a katana in his mouth.

"Don't make me laugh," the marine captain said angrily. "Capture those pirates!"

On his order most of the marines under his command charged towards the pirates, while Sanji, Nami, Usopp, and Zoro stepped forward.

"We'll take care of these ones, Luffy," Sanji said, calmly tapping his left foot on the cement. The boy grinned and nodded.

What followed suit was one of the most amazing fights Akira had ever seen. All four of them cast aside the marines like they were mere flies! Sanji dropped to his hands and spun his legs around like a spinning top, Nami viciously attacked anyone coming her way with a sturdy wooden staff, Usopp used a simple slingshot but the objects he expertly aimed at his opponents were quite unusual yet effective, and Zoro slashed through the marines with his three swords with deadly accuracy. The battle was over just as soon as it began and the four stood up calmly among the moaning marines strewn about at their feet. They had defeated about forty of them in mere minutes.

Raimon obviously couldn't believe his eyes either, and just stood there staring at them with his lip quivering slightly. However, once Luffy stepped forward and his crew fell back, he replaced his fear with anger. "You may have taken out my men but I promise I pose a greater challenge!"

"We'll see about that," Luffy grinned as he rolled his right shoulder. "_Gomu, Gomu no . . . Bazooka!_"

Raimon quickly called up his shield, and while it absorbed some of the damage, he was still sent flying backwards towards the shore, his shield shattered to a million pieces. The villagers cheered for Luffy while the marines who were still alive near the shore stared in shock and amazement.

"Captain Raimon!" The marines closest tried to help him up but he slapped them away.

"I don't need your help!"

"B-but . . . captain—you can't defeat him! He has a 30 million beli bounty and he took out people like Don Krieg and Arlong!" a brave marine protested weakly.

"I don't care!" Raimon roared, grabbing his subordinate by the throat. "He's just a kid—younger than you! There is no way I'm gonna lose to him." With that said he carelessly tossed the man aside and walked towards Luffy.

"I'll admit you throw a good punch kid," Raimon chuckled, cracking his knuckles. "But is that all you can do?"

Luffy grinned. "Of course not." He started charging towards Raimon who calmly stood his ground, hands on his hips. Once Raimon was a few meters away from him, Luffy pulled his arms back and bellowed, "_Gomu Gomu no . . . Gattling Gun!_" His sporadic punches seemed to multiply instantly and Akira's eyes widened at the sight of them.

_How is that possible?_

A few seconds later, however; Luffy cried out in pain and jumped back with blood dripping from his knuckles that quickly forming a puddle on the ground. He narrowed his eyes angrily while Raimon erupted in laughter. His previously damaged shield that came from his chest was replaced by rapidly rotating blades, still spewing specks of Luffy's blood into the air.

"Rubberman or not—you can't defeat me!" he declared. Luffy frowned for a moment, then laughed before running towards Raimon again, only this time he jumped high into the air, throwing his left foot up as well. It stretched so high those nearby could hardly see where his foot was.

"_Gomu Gomu no . . . Axe!" _Raimon just barely ducked out of the way as Luffy's foot came crashing down, creating a three-foot hole.

_That was close! _Raimon thought as he stared at the upturned ground. _How can he be so strong?_

"You're quick," Luffy said simply as he snapped his foot back to its normal length.

"Why do you want to be a pirate anyway?" the marine captain asked, dusting himself off the ground. "With that power you would make a formidable marine."

"Because I'm going to be the Pirate King!" Luffy proclaimed, a wide grin on his face as he pointed to himself.

Raimon chortled with laughter. "_You? _You've got to be joking! How can a kid become the Pirate King? You don't even have a full crew! You just have a group of teenagers!"

"I'll pick up more crew members on the way. I've already got a swordsman, a navigator, a sharpshooter, a cook," Luffy said, counting them all off of his fingers, "and once I'm done defeating you I'll have a doctor!"

"I wouldn't be too sure about that," Raimon smirked darkly. Luffy cocked his head, unsure about what he meant but his ponderings were cut short by the sound of a gunshot.

"Got her, captain!" Everyone turned around and saw that there was a marine stationed on the roof above the Straw Hat crew, Akira, and Kasumi. His gun was pointed towards the girl and she was clutching her side. Her blood quickly stained her clothes and spilled onto the ground.

"You should never shoot a lady," Sanji warned darkly behind the marine officer. The man shrieked in surprise at how fast he had moved and tried to run away but Sanji simply kicked him square in the chest, sending him careening out of sight.

"Akira!" Luffy cried, his eyes wide in fear and anger. Akira kept her head down but she slowly pushed herself up into a standing position, still clutching her side and ignored Kasumi's fervent pleas to stop.

"No need to worry about me!" she said with a smile on her face. "Just do what you need to do, captain!"

Luffy nodded and returned the smile before turning towards Raimon. "You're going to pay for shooting my doctor," he said through clenched teeth.

"Really?" Raimon scoffed. "Then what will you say to this?" Before Luffy could do anything Raimon's hands quickly reconfigured into large flamethrowers and aimed them at the nearest buildings, unleashing the powerful and deadly flames. Villagers cried out in fear and abandoned their hiding places, trying to get to safety.

"This whole village will go up in flames in a matter of minutes!" the deranged captain yelled. "And in that amount of time I can also kill that new _doctor_ of yours so you'll have to make a choice! You can't save the village and your friend!"

Just then there were loud screams that rent the air, coming from inside one of the burning buildings.

"Looks like some of them didn't make it out in time," Raimon said gleefully, blowing across the top of one of his flamethrowers.

"How could you?" Luffy bellowed, practically shaking with fury.

"Easy," was the reply.

"We'll handle the fire and those trapped inside, Luffy!" Sanji assured him.

"Just focus on defeating him!" Zoro yelled.

Suddenly someone shot past the two men, pushed them aside, and charged towards the fire. The flames were so large and bright that the figure was cast in shadows. Blue fire appeared on the figure's hands and to everyone's shock the flames from Raimon's fire were starting to recede. It was as if the blue fire was drawing out the other fire and consuming it! Moments later the entire fire had disappeared, leaving behind black and charred buildings.

The front wall of one building collapsed and three kids emerged from behind a slightly charred desk coughing and wheezing, but nonetheless alive. Akira wasted no time and ran to the other side of the street, doing to same to the other fire.

"I told you, _Raimon_," the girl spat, wiping the blood from her mouth once she was done. "I'm a Logia type, and a fire one as well. Fire bends to my command."

"That's my Akira-chan!" Sanji said happily, spinning around with hearts in his eyes.

"Shut up, Ero-cook!" Zoro grumbled, hitting him with the hilt of his sword.

Unable to believe his eyes, Raimon screamed in fury while running towards Akira, changing his hands to machine guns. He was halted by Luffy suddenly appearing in front of him yelling, "Your opponent is me!" while delivering a powerful uppercut, sending the man flying backwards. While he was in the air Luffy stretched his arms up, wrapped them around Raimon's torso tightly, then pulled down. As his hands unraveled Raimon was sent spinning at such a speed that he was a mere blur.

Once his hands were free, Luffy sprinted towards the man, and threw his hands behind himself. "_Gomu Gomu no . . . Bazooka!_" he yelled, sending the man flying into the water a few meters from the shore.

"OI!" Luffy called as he dusted his hands on his pants, directing his attention to the few marines who were cowering behind a rowboat.

"Y-yes?!" one answered fearfully.

"Take your captain and leave this village," he ordered. All the men immediately stood to attention, nodding vigorously before tossing the rowboat into the water and pedaled towards their captain to bring him aboard and report the previous events to the closest marine base.

Once they were gone all the villagers cheered, coming back towards the street from where they had fled from the fire previously, thanking the pirates for what they'd done. Luffy smiled but walked over to Akira, who was currently being supported by Kasumi.

"Thanks—Luffy," she said, her voice coarse. "Would you mind taking in someone who wants to become the greatest doctor in the world so I can save all my precious people?"

Luffy flashed her a wide smile. "I wouldn't expect any less of the doctor to the Pirate King!" Akira smirked weakly at his enthusiasm before fainting in Kasumi's concerned grip. Luffy cocked his head. "Will she be all right?"

Kasumi chuckled. "She'll be fine. All that's left is for me to fix her up and take a look at those hands of yours."

**

* * *

**

**There you go! I was going to break it up, but then I figured that would be really cruel to all of you, and I just wanted to get this fight in one chapter. I apologize if it isn't as glamorous as Oda's or as in depth, but this was the best I could do. I don't know why but I have a hard time writing One Piece. It's just one of my harder ones to write and I'm not all together pleased with this chapter, but I needed to post it.**


	8. Chapter 8: The Sixth Nakama

**Heh, sorry for taking so long everyone! It's just that this ending has probably been the most difficult part for me to write for some reason. To get myself in the mood though, I have gone back and fixed the previous chapters so they are somewhat up to par with my writing abilities now, almost uh—two years later? Heh, heh . . . **

**I would like to thank** pirateXfangirl **and** HappyGirl282 **for their reviews, as well as everyone else who has stuck through with this story. I wish I could have been more gracious and attentive, but life happens.**

**So—without further ado, here is the ending to a story that should have finished the month it was started. ^^;**

* * *

"You take care of yourself now," Kasumi chided.

"I promise," Akira laughed. It had been two days since Raimon's defeat and Akira had spent the whole time recovering while Kasumi fretted about. The young girl figured the doctor was trying to make up for lost time and she welcomed the time spent. The moment she had been waiting for all her life had finally come, yet she found she had some doubts. While the villagers were embarrassed at their previous actions and were doing their best to make it up to her, Akira still felt distant. Leaving them was no big problem, but Kasumi was the real issue. No one could ever take the place of her real mother, but Kasumi sure came close.

"I've prepared everything I feel you will need in this bag," the old woman continued, thrusting the heavy thing into Akira's arms, "as well as a few medical journals about methods you haven't learned yet."

"Thank you," Akira gasped, struggling with the weight.

"Now don't feel too stressed, because I can tell you've got your work cut out for you with this crew," Kasumi said, jabbing a finger in the Straw Hats' direction. "I won't be there anymore so you have to follow your instincts. Believe in yourself and you'll be able to handle whatever injuries they dish out at you."

"Cleanliness is your greatest asset. Remember that you always need to—"

"Kasumi-sama—calm down!" Akira cut in. "I promise I'll be fine." She held Kasumi's hands and glanced at her kindly. "I had the greatest instructor in the world." The old woman's watery eyes glistened, and she let out a small sob as she tightly wrapped Akira in her arms. The tears fell freely down their faces and they wished they never had to let go.

"Go already," Kasumi sniffed. She slowly loosened her grip on Akira and stepped back, dabbing at her eyes as she did so. "You kids best understand that you need to keep a careful eye on your doctor, or you'll pay the consequences when you are in need of her services," she warned, turning her attention to the five teenagers patiently waiting on the dock.

"We'll take good care of her," Zoro assured the woman, silently remembering he still owed Akira for that punch to his gut when they first met.

"Of course!" Luffy said. "Let's go, Akira!"

"Yes, captain!" Akira saluted. She spared a second to give Kasumi a final hug. "I can never thank you enough for all you've done for me," she whispered. "I promise I will work hard to become the greatest doctor in the world in your name!"

"I have no doubt you can do that, my sweet apple blossom," Kasumi said, choking on her words. "You have now fully bloomed, and may your roots reach deep everywhere you go."

Soon enough, the Going Merry made its way out of the harbor to the cheering crowd of Sakouli Village. Akira stood at the rear of the ship, waving good-bye to Kasumi until she could no longer see the shoreline.

* * *

"To our new nakama," Luffy began, while everyone raised their tankards to meet his.

"KANPAI!" everyone chorused at once, banging the containers together before drowning them as fast as possible. Akira glanced at the odd colored liquid, a little unsure. The smell was somewhat repugnant, but strangely sweet at the same time.

"What's wrong, Akira?" Luffy asked. She glanced up quickly and noticed that everyone had already finished their first glassful of sake and were staring at her, eyebrows raised.

Zoro frowned for a second, then a large devilish grin erupted on his face. "You've never had sake before, huh?" he taunted happily.

Akira cheeks flushed with embarrassment. "IiI . . . well once I—"

The captain erupted in laughter, throwing his head back. The rest of the crew had matching grins and quietly chuckled to themselves as they poured themselves some more sake.

"It's really good!" Luffy assured her. "It's a little strange at first but then you'll get used to it! No one can beat Zoro in a contest though!" To prove the point Zoro gulped the entirety of his second helping in one instant and smirked at her.

"What? Too afraid to try it?" the swordsman taunted. Akira snorted, fully determined to show she wasn't afraid of _anything _and snuck a quick glance at the foreign beverage before her. She then tilted her head back and drank it so fast she barely had any time to taste it.

Once she was finished, she let out a sigh of relief and slapped the tankard on the barrel and crossed her arms smugly. Luffy and Usopp were amazed while Nami nodded and Sanji grinned. "That's my Akira-chan!"

Zoro however, frowned and then smirked again. He folding his arms mockingly and appeared to be waiting for something.

Eventually, Akira could bear it no longer and choked, holding her throat as she did so. Her windpipe felt like it was on fire and her tongue stung; her eyes watering.

Zoro burst out laughing, pointing his finger at her and slapping his knee with the other. "Not so tough now, are you?" Soon Luffy, Usopp, and Nami joined in, enjoying themselves at her expense. Sanji was the only one who appeared concerned.

"Are you all right, Akira-chan?" He placed a hand on her shoulder while she wheezed with coughing fits as her body reacted to the alcohol. The cook quickly ran into the kitchen and emerged with a tall glass of water which Akira took gratefully. After draining the cool, calming liquid she felt a little better, but the aftertaste of the sake was still there.

"Thank you, Sanji," she wheezed, to which he smiled happily before turning to the laughing crew behind him.

"How dare you do that, marimo!" he scolded. "Poor Akira—"

"It's okay, Sanji," Akira interrupted. With renewed confidence she snatched the bottle of sake and poured herself another glass, which she drank a little slower this time. Now that her taste buds had gotten some time to get used to the strong liquid, she was able to tolerate it a little more. _It's actually quite good—once you get used to it_, she noted.

With that out of the way, everyone settled down and they continued their party. Sanji brought out trays upon trays of tantalizing foods that Akira had never tried before in her life. It was, in all honesty, the biggest party she had ever seen—and the weirdest one at that. At one point Usopp and Luffy linked arms and paraded all around the deck, singing something that sounded like a song about flying hippos in loud voices. It was hard to tell though, because their words slurred together from the effects of the alcohol.

Akira was just content to watch in awe, soaking in the sweet freedom that she now possessed. After so many years of hardship she was now living her dream. Akira gently rubbed the gold coin around her neck and gazed at the stars.

_We finally made it, Kaien._

* * *

**There you have it! This has been an enjoyable delve into the One Piece fandom, and I have some more plans in mind for Akira and the crew so stay tuned! (Though it might be a little while before that)**


End file.
